Better His Whore
by Celeste Belle
Summary: The townspeople have been whispering about Kaoru since Kenshin moved in. The rumors about her tainted virtue may be enough to make Kenshin leave. But, when an unexpected proposal causes feelings to be revealed, will he be able to leave her? One-shot.


Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

A/N: Only the plot and the OC, Kouji, are mine.

Better His Whore

Kaoru flinched as she heard the whispers. The people had been whispering for quite some time now, but she hadn't heard them until last week. Either she'd been blissfully unaware, or she'd chosen to tune them out. She wasn't sure which it was. She could only hope that Kenshin hadn't heard them, but she was sure that was impossible. According to Tae, they'd started whispering in private, or at dinner at the Akabeko, almost a month after Kenshin had moved in. Now, half a year later, Kaoru found that the whispers were no longer so quiet.

At first, she'd only heard vague whispers as people hinted at what she might be doing at the dojo alone with a man. Now, as she passed, she could hear more detailed explanations of what they thought she was doing with a man such as Battosai. She wanted to scream at them, grab her bokken and smack them in the face for daring to spread such lies. Kenshin was an honorable man, and would never take her virtue. Never. Not even if she offered herself on a futon of gold. At that thought, Kaoru sighed inwardly. Kenshin only saw her as a friend. And if the rumors continued, he was going to wander again, and this time, he would not return.

Sighing as she walked through the gate of the dojo, she decided to practice for a while. She was tired, but the frustration she felt would only go away with a good workout. As she crossed the yard, she yelled a hello to Kenshin, who replied without looking away from the laundry. When she entered the dojo, she realized she was fighting back tears. Angrily swiping her arm across her eyes, she began to focus on her kendo.

Even with her mind focused on her training, the words still rang clear in her mind. _Whore. He's only there because she's giving herself to him. He'll leave when he's tired of her. She's barely a woman; how could she possibly handle a man like Battosai? The poor dear; the things he must do to her._ But no matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the first word from her mind.

Hours later, having finished her kendo and taken a relaxing bath, Kaoru felt more in control. As she stepped inside the house with a smile on her face, the smell of Kenshin's cooking wafted to her nose.

"Mmm. Something smells good!" she declared

"Thank you, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin replied, placing the last dish on the table.

"Yeah!" Yahiko declared, "It sure smells better than anything Ugly could have cooked."

Unwilling to be taunted by Yahiko tonight when so many other thoughts were swirling in her mind, she did something she'd never done before in this situation. She smiled and said "That's true."

As Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke, who had come to mooch another meal, stared at her, she picked up her bowl and began eating. "Wow. This is delicious!"

At her words, the three males broke from their staring to begin eating their own meals. She listened as Kenshin talked of needing to go into the market tomorrow for some supplies. She could only pray that the words of gossip did not reach his ears. She listened as Sanosuke talked of dragging Kenshin to a friendly gambling game. She listened as Yahiko said that he'd be helping Tae and Tsubame tomorrow. She offered the appropriate responses in the appropriate places. She listened, but her mind was elsewhere.

Later, in the safety and comfort of her own futon, she allowed the tears to fall. Her father had been a respected man, and those who knew him, knew how he had raised Kaoru. How could they say such lies about her? But what really bothered her, more than the words they used against her, were the things they said about Kenshin. Kenshin was no longer the Battosai. He protected people, the very people who dared to say such things about him. Kenshin was a gentle man, an honorable man. Kaoru stifled a sob. Kenshin was a man. One who did not want her. But oh, how she wanted him. She could not stop the gasp from escaping her lips, her breath catching on another sob, as she realized that she would give _everything_, including her father's dojo, to be _anything _to Kenshin. Even if that meant she could only be his whore.

With those thoughts in her mind, she drifted into a restless sleep, tears staining her cheeks.

Kaoru awoke just before dawn. Her mind still whirled as she put her futon away, got dressed, and washed her face. When she was satisfied that nothing looked amiss, she walked to the dojo for her morning routine. It would help to clear her mind and wake her up. Perhaps when she was finished, she would be more prepared to face this dilemma.

She did feel better after practicing, and the day passed normally. Kenshin had breakfast finished just as she came inside; Yahiko wandered into the kitchen sleepily rubbing his eyes; Sanosuke showed up as soon as the food was placed on the table. After breakfast, Yahiko went to the Akabeko, Sanosuke lounged around talking of the latest news, Kaoru scrubbed the dojo, and Kenshin washed clothes.

Kaoru had just finished cleaning, and had changed to go train her students, when someone walked through the gate. Pausing on her way down the steps, she realized it was Akimoto Kouji. He had been one of her father's students, and now taught at a dojo across town.

"Kouji!" she exclaimed in surprise. She hadn't expected to see him until next week, when she would visit the dojo as an assistant teacher. "What are you doing here?"

In her peripheral vision, she could see Kenshin straighten up under the pretense of hanging laundry, and she could feel Sanosuke's eyes on her back.

"I wanted to talk to you, Kaoru." He replied, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"What about?" She was aware of the audience behind them, who were trying to appear as though they weren't listening.

"Kaoru, I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath before beginning again. "Kaoru, we've known each other a long time. I was a student here at your father's dojo, and I believe in the Kamiya Kasshin style. I've seen you blossom into a young woman." He paused to catch his breath.

Kaoru stood frozen, praying this wasn't what she thought it was.

"Kamiya Kaoru, I believe that we can continue your father's dojo together, if you'll become my wife. I care for you, Kaoru. Marry me." He said, grasping her hands as he finished his speech.

Kaoru was stunned. He thought she would marry him just because he'd been taught by her father, just because he would _allow_ her to continue teaching her students? He was wrong!

"Kouji," she began carefully, "I'm very flattered." _Yeah, right,_ her mind screamed. "But, I don't love you. And…I'm afraid that I cannot marry you." She replied, carefully extracting her hands from his now slackened grip.

His face fell into one of disappointment, but not sadness, just before it contorted with anger. As he raised his eyes, so filled with rage, to hers, she was tempted to step back, but did not. The presence of both Sanosuke and Kenshin behind her, no longer attempting to pretend they weren't watching, gave her comfort and strength.

Even as Kouji opened his mouth and began yelling, she did not flinch. "You ungrateful woman! I should have known that you would turn down this gift! I'm offering you a good life! A life where you do not have to live in shame! Whatever hold that Battosai has over you, I could have broken it!"

Kaoru was fuming. She did not raise her voice; rather, she was calm as she spoke. "No, Kouji. You are mistaken. This has nothing to do with Kenshin." _Liar, _her mind screamed. "I cannot marry you because I do not love you. That is all."

"But don't you see?" he continued, "You would come to love me in time! You don't have to be Battosai's whore anymore! He's an evil man, can't you see?" He had reached forward to grip her shoulders. "I'm offering you a way out, you stupid girl!"

Kaoru finally snapped. Shaking his hands off of her, she growled, unprepared for the words that came from her mouth, for they were not the first ones she thought. She had intended to say that Kenshin was a kind man who protected people.

Her voice was deadly. Her hair covered her eyes. Her hand gripped her bokken so hard she feared she would break it.

"You are a foolish man, then, Akimoto Kouji. Trying to take what belongs to the Battosai will only get you killed." She looked into his eyes then, and realized he was terrified. Finally, her voice rose from the deadly murmur. Her final sentence carried across the dojo, stunning all three men. "I would rather live one-hundred years as Battosai's whore, than spend one _night_ as your wife."

Her final words echoed as Kaoru stormed past a stunned Kouji and walked toward the river. She could not teach students while she was this angry.

Kaoru made it to a part of the riverbank secluded by trees before collapsing on the ground. Her sobs echoed around her, but she made no attempt to hold them back. She had as good as said she was Kenshin's whore. She'd revealed her deepest feelings, and dashed any hope of having them fulfilled. She had insulted Kenshin, as good as called him dishonorable; now she knew he would leave.

Her sobs had turned to sniffles and her breathing had slowed before she realized someone was watching her. Gripping her bokken, she spun, surprised to find herself looking into Kenshin's concerned face.

"Kenshin…"

Kaoru's eyes welled up with more tears, but they did not spill over. Her breath caught as he moved closer to her. She saw that his eyes held flecks of amber, but did not dwell on what that could mean.

"Kenshin, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just so angry. I—"

His eyes flickered with emotion, but his voice was steady. "It's all right, Miss Kaoru. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. The only pain she felt was the pain in her heart. "I'm fine, Kenshin. I'm just so sorry about the things I said."

Shaking his head, he hushed her. Gently taking her by the elbow, he led her to a log. Sitting down, he urged her to sit beside him. "We do need to talk, Miss Kaoru." He said, once she'd taken her seat next to him.

She turned her head, unable to look at his face. But he would not allow her to keep her face averted. Cupping her face in his hand, he turned her to face him.

"Why would you say something like that, Miss Kaoru?" he asked without preamble

She was surprised to find that his eyes were now more violet than amber. She flinched, but could not pull away. His hand was gentle, but held her firmly.

Sighing, she resigned herself to the truth. If he wanted to leave her after that, it was his right to do so. Just as it was her right to love him, even in an unrequited love.

"I meant it, Kenshin. He was saying bad things about you. I _meant_ to tell him that you are a good, kind person who helps people." Her eyes wandered to the sky before returning to his face. "What came out was still the truth. I cannot marry another man because I love you. Whether you love me or not, Kenshin, I love you. And I would rather be anything to you, even your friend…" She paused, taking a breath, "Even your whore," She felt him tense beside her, "than be another man's wife." She looked down, and he released her. There. She'd said it. What happened next was up to him.

Kenshin took a deep breath. He could feel the Battosai stirring within him. The woman before him was more than his match. She'd faced dangers that he'd brought upon her without complaining; hadn't blamed him once. She loved him, though he was unworthy of the love of someone so pure. And now, she bore the harsh whispers and rumors of others; bore their slander without a complaint, save for the one that they should not say such things about _him_. Love—something he never thought he'd feel again—for the woman he did not deserve welled up within him.

"Kaoru." Her name, said without the honorific, caused her to look up, into the eyes of the Battosai. Kenshin's eyes were now pure amber, but she wasn't afraid. He'd said her name with such love, that she could not have considered fearing the man before her. "I don't deserve you, Kaoru that I don't."

She opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by his kiss. It was soft at first, the barest brush of his lips against hers. It was just as her first kiss was meant to be. He pulled back briefly. She sighed his name, and his lips were on hers once more, the love that they shared pouring from their hearts.

When they pulled away, his eyes were normal again, the Battosai sated for now. Her eyes welled with happy tears, but they did not spill over. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a light kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Kaoru." He said, finally admitting what he'd wanted to say for so long.

She had always been his, if only in her heart. And now, she could proclaim that from the rooftops. And he was hers. Having admitted his love, he would never leave; having kissed her, he could never give her up. There would still be enemies, but they had faced them before, and they had won. Now, her love would always call him home. No matter how far he went, or how close death came, he would always return to her. His sweet Kaoru.

And, once the arrangements could be made, no one would ever call her his whore again. As he placed a final, lingering kiss to her lips, Kenshin's eyes flashed. He would make sure of that.

A/N: My first Kenshin/Kaoru fic, strangely. Hope you enjoyed!


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